Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!rice!uupsi!sunic!liuida!isy!ingemar From: ingemar@isy.liu.se (Ingemar Ragnemalm) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc Subject: Re: Expensive International Macs Message-ID: Date: 9 Dec 90 18:01:42 GMT References: <1990Dec5.094856.3679@csc.anu.oz.au> Sender: news@isy.liu.se (Lord of the News) Organization: Dept of EE, University of Linkoping Lines: 37 pfr654@csc.anu.oz.au writes: >It seems that the reason that Apple is making such large sums of money >nowadays is that us foreigners (from Finland, New Zealand, Japan and >Australia) are paying about twice as much for the same equipment as >are the US customers. Since we account for about 1/2 of the number of boxes >sold, then we must account for more than 1/2 of the profit margin. >I would like to hear someone admit that the price has little to do with the >cost of production and shipping, and much more to do with the market - the >US market is much more competitive, so to sell ANYTHING, they have to >charge less. >Other countries, for example, do not have the NeXT - and if we do get it, >the pricing will no doubt follow all of the other big computer companies' >policies. Here in Sweden, I can't blame Apple for charging too much, compared to US. Most equipment imported from US will cost about 10 SEK (swedish crowns) per USD. Compared to the exchange rate, about 6 SEK/USD, it appears a bit expensive, but it applies to virtually *all* equpiment. High taxes, freight and importer's profits makes the difference. That 10 to 1 rule of thumb was applicable to Macs as well as anything else, until recently. When I compare swedich and US Mac prices, I don't feel bad about it at all: it is roughly 8 to 1 now! Someone has cut corners. Can it be different market strategies in different local Apple departments? -- Ingemar Ragnemalm Dept. of Electrical Engineering ...!uunet!mcvax!enea!rainier!ingemar .. University of Linkoping, Sweden ingemar@isy.liu.se